Summary: The very word Revival implies that things aren’t as good as they need to be. It implies spiritual decay and inactivity.

Last week, we talked about revival and the need for humility in seeking it.

The very word, Revival implies that things aren’t as good as they need to be.

To revive something implies that there is some kind of spiritual decay or inactivity going on and it needs to be revived, to be made alive again.

As we saw last week, Revival is God deciding to send a fresh movement of his Spirit among his people. It is when he decides to grant his body, his church, a fresh experience of his spirit.

Revival is a gracious move of the spirit of God that brings renewal to the church. It can’t be bought, but it must be sought. It can’t be designed but it must be desired. And it will not come until we ask Him to send it!

Revival is always proceeded by a passionate calling on God by His people.

It is for a people who are weak!

It is for those who will humble themselves.

It for those who are burdened with the way things are.

Last week we talked about revival and our need for humility in seeking it, today I want to talk to you about revival and the important part that prayer, plays in it.

I really want to make the point that if things were O.K., we wouldn’t need to talk about revival. But, the fact is that things are not as good as they came be and so I hope that you will bear with me as we I share with you another lesson on Revival.

Revival isn’t delayed because God hasn’t given us the prescription for it. Revival is delayed, because we don’t want to take the prescription.

The Bible says very clearly, here’s what you do, in seeking revival, in asking God to come and make his presence known among his people.

You humble yourself, you fast, you pray and you mourn over the way things are in your life and in the world around you. That’s the prescription! And God says, you do that and I will hear, I will forgive and I will heal your land.

What I want to share with you this morning is another crucial element in asking God to bring revival to his people. And that is prayer in seeking his face.

In 1857, There was a young man named Jeremiah lancier, he was a young man in his thirties, he was converted in 1844 through the revival preaching of Charles finny.

This young man began to work for a church, called the North church in New York city, the church hired him to be a street evangelist. He went out month after month trying to share Christ with the people and nothing was happening.

So he happened upon an idea, he thought, what if we prayed, so he began to pass out pamphlets and fliers and put them up for many weeks.

All the pamphlet said on it was:

Come to the old North Church on Dutch street at 12:00 o’ clock Wednesday.

12:00 o’ clock Wednesday comes and nobody was there but Jeremiah. He got on his knees and began to pray. Now, before the hour was over six other men came and began to pray with him also.

They agreed to meet again the following Wednesday to do the same thing. This time eighteen people came to that prayer meeting.

They met the following Wednesday and about 30 people came. These people decided that they would start meeting every day at noon, simply for the purpose of coming together to pray.